Many varieties of IV poles exist in the field and for the purpose of supporting intravenous fluid containers to facilitate the gravity feed of fluids contained therein to patients oriented in an adjacent bed. In many instances, the IV pole is provided on a wheeled carriage which stands adjacent the bed. In some instances, the IV pole is to be mounted directly on the bed and, in this instance, it is desired to frequently raise and lower the IV pole during periods of use and non-use. Accordingly, it is a desire to provide an IV pole with a latch mechanism that will reliably latch to the top pole when it is moved to the fully extended position thereof and to reliably release the latching engagement to facilitate a retraction of the top pole into the bottom pole. It is furthermore a desire to provide an IV pole that is sturdy once it is moved to the raised position.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an IV pole with a latch that automatically couples to the top pole when it is moved to the fully extended position thereof.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an IV pole, as aforesaid, wherein the latch can be reliably unlocked from its engagement with the top pole to facilitate a retraction of the top pole into the bottom pole.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an IV pole, as aforesaid, which includes structure for orienting and reliably maintaining the IV pole in an upright fixed position relative to the base upon which it is mounted.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an IV pole, as aforesaid, which is reliable, requires little or no maintenance and is easy to operate by the personnel attending a patient.